Jericho fans have passed their first test in successfully bringing the apocalyptic drama back for a second chance, but future challenges still face the show when it returns. The Friday run has been luke warm to hot by Friday standards, which may yet hold the seasons best chance for survival, yet the first challenge may come in October when Jericho’s DVD set hits the streets.
Jericho, from the beginning, was meant to have ‘brand appeal’ in the same way that Heroes and Lost have succeeded. The storyline is rife with the possibilities for spin-off online games, and other tangential items. While it may not pack the same genre trappings as Heroes and Lost, it definitely presents enough raw material to join the ranks even if it does have to bypass the lucrative Sci Fi fanboy ranks.
The first test of ‘brand appeal’ is going to be when the DVD set hits the streets. Statistically, these sets serve one of two purposes. They either indoctrinate a new viewer, or they provide the hardened viewer with an enhanced viewing experience as well as a snazzy keepsake of their favorite shows. Light sales could be eyeballed as an indicator of consumer apathy in either bracket.
On the flip side, Friday holds the most concentrated number of hardcore TV viewers. While the Friday audiences may be smaller, they tend to reflect viewers who spend a lot of time in front of the tube all week long. It is likely that a fair number of the viewers that tuned in for Jericho’s second run were new viewers. As for the less than impressive numbers the drama received on Friday, no network looks for a blockbuster in those time slots.
There has not been an official announcement on when Jericho will return to the screen, there is still a persistent rumor that should the right show fail in the right spot the show could return as early as October. The more likely scenario seems to be January. In either case, eyes are on Wednesday at 8:00pm, not Friday, for Jericho’s second at-bat.
– Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of CBS)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
